Finding My Way
Gleaming Eyes
Jaemi’s POV
8:30am
“So, what are your plans today?” Taehyung waddles next to me as we make our way to the cafeteria.
That’s right… I’m going with Suga for dinner. “Not sure, it’s a Sunday. I-I think Irene invited me to have eat with her tonight.”
“Oh.” He stops in front of the cafeteria door and I pause with him out of instinct. “I was hoping you and I could do something today… but I guess-”
“We can still if you really want to Taehyung. I’m free until the evening.” I push the door open and walk into the cafeteria, Taehyung not far behind. I sit myself lazily next to Jungkook and Taehyung almost plunges on his seat in front of me.
“Good morning.” Jimin’s voice is muffled into his mug as he sips his coffee.
“Morning guys.” I say and rest my head on the table.
Jungkook pats my head softly. “Tired or something?”
My eyes wander the table, observing everyone’s exhausted faces. It looks like we’re all tired.
“Where’s Hoseok?” I instantly stand up, worried.
“I’m here.” A hand rests on my shoulder, pushing me back into my seat. I watch as he rubs his eyes and gives me a plain grin. His hand stays firmly on my shoulder as he squeezes it slightly. “Morning.”
“Hey guys~” Byeol comes over with breakfast trays for half of us. “You guys are lucky you came late for breakfast. The children were extra crazy this morning.”
“Sorry we weren’t able to be much of help, Byeol.” Seokjin apologizes on behalf of us. She smiles and puts two hands on her hips.
“Eat a lot! I’ll go get some for the rest of you.” Seokjin stands up, but Byeol shakes her head. “Let me get them. I have nothing else to do around here anyways.”
I watch as he slowly sits down on the chair, watching Byeol disappear. As I call him name, he immediately steps out of trance and locks eyes with me. “Seokjinnie.”
“Ne?” He clears his throat and straightens his posture.
With my chopsticks, I play with little rice specks on my tray. “Tell us more about Gaejin’s adoptive parents. I wanna know what they’re like.”
“...Well… their names are Kim Jinwoo and Kim Soohye. They have, including Gaejin, three children. One is around Gaejin’s age, so I’m pleased she has company. The other is in high school like us.” Seokjin puts a small spoon of his fried egg in his mouth.
“Really? Do you know who he, or she, is?” Hoseok leans closer with an elbow the desk, holding his head.
“No, I didn’t bother asking… but I guess I should at least know the face.” Seokjin shrugs and eats more.
There’s a bit of silence as we watch Byeol walk over with the rest of the trays. Our chopsticks and spoons hitting the trays are the only things that can be heard.
My mind blanks out of the moment as I replay Seokjin’s words in my head. Their names are Min Jinwoo and Min Soohye… Soohye. Soo-
-Flashback-
Ne, come in.” She said quickly and I opened the door.
“Ne, please hold while we transfer you to the other line.”
“What’s up, Jaemi.” She put her phone down as it played classical music, not on speaker, but loud enough to hear.
“Uhm.” I cleared my throat and walked closer to her desk. “I thank you for giving me my phone… but I think my charger is still in your storage. My phone’s almost dead.”
Byeol blinked twice before laughing. “Alright, let’s go and get it.”
She shuffled through her drawers to find the key to the storage. She lifted papers, that were now scattered all over her desk. “Is something wrong, Byeol?”
“I can’t find the key. I usually have it on my car keys but I misplaced that somewhere. My spare is gone too.”
“You have a spare?” I raised my eyebrow. “How could you lose your spare key?”
“I’m sure it was in my office. In this drawer. But it’s missing. Sorry, Jaemi. You’ll just have to live without your phone or buy another charger.” She picked up her phone and checked the time. Her feet moved quickly, pacing out of the room. “Crap. I need to make dinner. Jaemi, let's talk about this later.”
“Hello? Minji-shi? This is Soohye.”
“Ah, ne.” She answered the call while disappearing into the cafeteria.
-End-
Byeol was on the phone with Soohye that day… it was also the day- My eyes flashback to Gaejin fearing the thunderstorm and seeking for Seokjin. Seokjin…
That was when Seokjin found out Gaejin was being adopted. My hands stop moving and I stop chewing my food. My eyes revert to Seokjin, who eats his meal rather sedated. He looks up and I peer down at my food, swallowing my bite. Hair falls at my sides, almost hovering over my tray.
Hoseok’s knee nudges mine slightly and I glance at his empty tray of food. I lift my hand to put few strands of my hair behind my ear and make eye contact with him. His head leans to the side, acknowledging and nodding at the cafeteria door. He stands up first, taking his tray, along with mine, to a table next to a trash can. He straightens his shirt and takes a quick glare at me before leaving.
My chair screeches slightly as it moves backwards. With wide eyes, Taehyung and Jungkook watch as I excuse myself from the table.
As soon as I step out of the cafeteria, I pause, almost bumping into Hoseok. He gives a warm smile as leads me outside. Rather than talking at the pond, he guides to the other side of the field, a place I have yet to discover. On a big tree, two wooden swings, with thick rope, hang in harmony.
“You know when you first came here, I thought nothing of you.” Hoseok says, straight to the point. He sits me down and my swing sways slightly. My eyes stay glued to him as he joins me in the other swing. “It was until I saw Yoongi’s interest in you that I knew you were special. Different. His eyes gleam whenever he hears your name… like yours is now as I speak of him.”
My eyes break our stare and blink to the floor returning to him.
“Your not…” He stops himself, attempting to rephrase his question. “He’s not-”
“Are you threatening-”
“Suga’s a menace.” Hoseok cuts me off and I put my feet down to stop my swing from moving me. “He’s unpredictable. All I’m saying is to take caution of him. It’s not my place to prevent you from accompanying him, but I know it’s Taehyung’s. I won’t think twice to tell him what’s going between you and Suga. He ruined my best friends life.”
Best friend? …Namjoon?
“Please, just… promise me you’ll take caution when making the decision to be social around him…” His words are almost a whisper at this point. “We- I know things about him that you don’t, and I know he won’t be willing to share any of his past with you.”
“He opened up to you about his past?” With no sign of wind, I tighten my grip around the rope and lean backwards to push myself forward.
Hoseok stays put, eyes locked on something underneath me. “More like I found out without choice.”
I open my mouth to say more, but nothing right comes out. “I’ll be going first, Hoseok.”
Looking at him with the corner of my eye, I bow slightly before walking ahead. I can't take this conversation anymore.
“I trust you’ll make the right decision.” Hoseok responds and I stop in my tracks. Before I get the chance to turn around, he brushes past me, heading inside first.
------
6:30pm
As I pace down the hallways in casual, but fancy outwear, I pass Seokjin in the hallway.
“Where are you going tonight?” Seokjin smiles and observes me head to toe.
“I was invited to have dinner.” I grin and purse my lips. Don’t be suspicious… “Would you like to join me?”
“No, but thank you for offering. I’ll be seeing Gaejin tonight.” His smile brightens and I almost jump in joy.
“Give her my greetings!” I laugh and continue to walk. “Tell her I want to visit her next time!”
“I will!” His voice trails off as I turn the corner of the hallway and maneuver outside.
The sun's rays flash pink and purple on the clouds and teh sky is a dark orange as the sun slowly sets. Taking my time, I watch my feet cross the pavement from the orphanage to the local roads. Almost immediately, Yoongi stands by my side.
“You came out of nowhere!” I push him away from me out of embarrassment to how close we were standing.
“You never seemed to mind before.” Yoongi shrugs it off, inching closer, but keeping distance at the same time.
“I know…” My conversation with Hoseok replays through my mind as we walk slowly.
“Suga’s a menace. He’s unpredictable. All I’m saying is to take caution of him. It’s not my place to prevent you from accompanying him, but I know it’s Taehyung’s. I won’t think twice to tell him what’s going between you and Suga. He ruined my best friends life.”
I find myself staring at Yoongi, but don’t stop. He wouldn’t hurt me…
I straighten my button down shirt and run and hand through my hair. He meets my eyes and we stay in contact for a while. His eyes... they are beautiful… gleaming… just like Hoseok described.
From the train, we walk to his parent’s house and we ring the door. I feel sweat ponder on the palms of my hands. Why am I so nervous?
Fast footsteps, that could be heard outside, run down stairs. Seconds later, the front door opens. My mouth almost drops as I see the person I’d never thought I would answer the door.
“Gaejin?”
8:30am
“So, what are your plans today?” Taehyung waddles next to me as we make our way to the cafeteria.
That’s right… I’m going with Suga for dinner. “Not sure, it’s a Sunday. I-I think Irene invited me to have eat with her tonight.”
“Oh.” He stops in front of the cafeteria door and I pause with him out of instinct. “I was hoping you and I could do something today… but I guess-”
“We can still if you really want to Taehyung. I’m free until the evening.” I push the door open and walk into the cafeteria, Taehyung not far behind. I sit myself lazily next to Jungkook and Taehyung almost plunges on his seat in front of me.
“Good morning.” Jimin’s voice is muffled into his mug as he sips his coffee.
“Morning guys.” I say and rest my head on the table.
Jungkook pats my head softly. “Tired or something?”
My eyes wander the table, observing everyone’s exhausted faces. It looks like we’re all tired.
“Where’s Hoseok?” I instantly stand up, worried.
“I’m here.” A hand rests on my shoulder, pushing me back into my seat. I watch as he rubs his eyes and gives me a plain grin. His hand stays firmly on my shoulder as he squeezes it slightly. “Morning.”
“Hey guys~” Byeol comes over with breakfast trays for half of us. “You guys are lucky you came late for breakfast. The children were extra crazy this morning.”
“Sorry we weren’t able to be much of help, Byeol.” Seokjin apologizes on behalf of us. She smiles and puts two hands on her hips.
“Eat a lot! I’ll go get some for the rest of you.” Seokjin stands up, but Byeol shakes her head. “Let me get them. I have nothing else to do around here anyways.”
I watch as he slowly sits down on the chair, watching Byeol disappear. As I call him name, he immediately steps out of trance and locks eyes with me. “Seokjinnie.”
“Ne?” He clears his throat and straightens his posture.
With my chopsticks, I play with little rice specks on my tray. “Tell us more about Gaejin’s adoptive parents. I wanna know what they’re like.”
“...Well… their names are Kim Jinwoo and Kim Soohye. They have, including Gaejin, three children. One is around Gaejin’s age, so I’m pleased she has company. The other is in high school like us.” Seokjin puts a small spoon of his fried egg in his mouth.
“Really? Do you know who he, or she, is?” Hoseok leans closer with an elbow the desk, holding his head.
“No, I didn’t bother asking… but I guess I should at least know the face.” Seokjin shrugs and eats more.
There’s a bit of silence as we watch Byeol walk over with the rest of the trays. Our chopsticks and spoons hitting the trays are the only things that can be heard.
My mind blanks out of the moment as I replay Seokjin’s words in my head. Their names are Min Jinwoo and Min Soohye… Soohye. Soo-
-Flashback-
Ne, come in.” She said quickly and I opened the door.
“Ne, please hold while we transfer you to the other line.”
“What’s up, Jaemi.” She put her phone down as it played classical music, not on speaker, but loud enough to hear.
“Uhm.” I cleared my throat and walked closer to her desk. “I thank you for giving me my phone… but I think my charger is still in your storage. My phone’s almost dead.”
Byeol blinked twice before laughing. “Alright, let’s go and get it.”
She shuffled through her drawers to find the key to the storage. She lifted papers, that were now scattered all over her desk. “Is something wrong, Byeol?”
“I can’t find the key. I usually have it on my car keys but I misplaced that somewhere. My spare is gone too.”
“You have a spare?” I raised my eyebrow. “How could you lose your spare key?”
“I’m sure it was in my office. In this drawer. But it’s missing. Sorry, Jaemi. You’ll just have to live without your phone or buy another charger.” She picked up her phone and checked the time. Her feet moved quickly, pacing out of the room. “Crap. I need to make dinner. Jaemi, let's talk about this later.”
“Hello? Minji-shi? This is Soohye.”
“Ah, ne.” She answered the call while disappearing into the cafeteria.
-End-
Byeol was on the phone with Soohye that day… it was also the day- My eyes flashback to Gaejin fearing the thunderstorm and seeking for Seokjin. Seokjin…
That was when Seokjin found out Gaejin was being adopted. My hands stop moving and I stop chewing my food. My eyes revert to Seokjin, who eats his meal rather sedated. He looks up and I peer down at my food, swallowing my bite. Hair falls at my sides, almost hovering over my tray.
Hoseok’s knee nudges mine slightly and I glance at his empty tray of food. I lift my hand to put few strands of my hair behind my ear and make eye contact with him. His head leans to the side, acknowledging and nodding at the cafeteria door. He stands up first, taking his tray, along with mine, to a table next to a trash can. He straightens his shirt and takes a quick glare at me before leaving.
My chair screeches slightly as it moves backwards. With wide eyes, Taehyung and Jungkook watch as I excuse myself from the table.
As soon as I step out of the cafeteria, I pause, almost bumping into Hoseok. He gives a warm smile as leads me outside. Rather than talking at the pond, he guides to the other side of the field, a place I have yet to discover. On a big tree, two wooden swings, with thick rope, hang in harmony.
“You know when you first came here, I thought nothing of you.” Hoseok says, straight to the point. He sits me down and my swing sways slightly. My eyes stay glued to him as he joins me in the other swing. “It was until I saw Yoongi’s interest in you that I knew you were special. Different. His eyes gleam whenever he hears your name… like yours is now as I speak of him.”
My eyes break our stare and blink to the floor returning to him.
“Your not…” He stops himself, attempting to rephrase his question. “He’s not-”
“Are you threatening-”
“Suga’s a menace.” Hoseok cuts me off and I put my feet down to stop my swing from moving me. “He’s unpredictable. All I’m saying is to take caution of him. It’s not my place to prevent you from accompanying him, but I know it’s Taehyung’s. I won’t think twice to tell him what’s going between you and Suga. He ruined my best friends life.”
Best friend? …Namjoon?
“Please, just… promise me you’ll take caution when making the decision to be social around him…” His words are almost a whisper at this point. “We- I know things about him that you don’t, and I know he won’t be willing to share any of his past with you.”
“He opened up to you about his past?” With no sign of wind, I tighten my grip around the rope and lean backwards to push myself forward.
Hoseok stays put, eyes locked on something underneath me. “More like I found out without choice.”
I open my mouth to say more, but nothing right comes out. “I’ll be going first, Hoseok.”
Looking at him with the corner of my eye, I bow slightly before walking ahead. I can't take this conversation anymore.
“I trust you’ll make the right decision.” Hoseok responds and I stop in my tracks. Before I get the chance to turn around, he brushes past me, heading inside first.
------
6:30pm
As I pace down the hallways in casual, but fancy outwear, I pass Seokjin in the hallway.
“Where are you going tonight?” Seokjin smiles and observes me head to toe.
“I was invited to have dinner.” I grin and purse my lips. Don’t be suspicious… “Would you like to join me?”
“No, but thank you for offering. I’ll be seeing Gaejin tonight.” His smile brightens and I almost jump in joy.
“Give her my greetings!” I laugh and continue to walk. “Tell her I want to visit her next time!”
“I will!” His voice trails off as I turn the corner of the hallway and maneuver outside.
The sun's rays flash pink and purple on the clouds and teh sky is a dark orange as the sun slowly sets. Taking my time, I watch my feet cross the pavement from the orphanage to the local roads. Almost immediately, Yoongi stands by my side.
“You came out of nowhere!” I push him away from me out of embarrassment to how close we were standing.
“You never seemed to mind before.” Yoongi shrugs it off, inching closer, but keeping distance at the same time.
“I know…” My conversation with Hoseok replays through my mind as we walk slowly.
“Suga’s a menace. He’s unpredictable. All I’m saying is to take caution of him. It’s not my place to prevent you from accompanying him, but I know it’s Taehyung’s. I won’t think twice to tell him what’s going between you and Suga. He ruined my best friends life.”
I find myself staring at Yoongi, but don’t stop. He wouldn’t hurt me…
I straighten my button down shirt and run and hand through my hair. He meets my eyes and we stay in contact for a while. His eyes... they are beautiful… gleaming… just like Hoseok described.
From the train, we walk to his parent’s house and we ring the door. I feel sweat ponder on the palms of my hands. Why am I so nervous?
Fast footsteps, that could be heard outside, run down stairs. Seconds later, the front door opens. My mouth almost drops as I see the person I’d never thought I would answer the door.
“Gaejin?”
Notes
Annyeong my readers~
I'm backk, for now at least. It's been a while since I've update, but I'm here to announce I'm off my hiatus and will be updating regularly. Thank you so much for being patient! Your waiting has now ended ahahahaha.
This chapter... is somewhat of a plot twist? I didn't think Gaejin would play a huge part in this story, but NOW SHE DOES!!!? lol
Hoseok tho.
VOTE///COMMENT///SUBSCRIBE! I'm so happy to be back and writing as usual. An update on Thursday *party time*
See you in the next chapter~!
~Alexis Thao
P.S. IF ANYONE WANTS TO JOIN ME TO GO TO THE BTS CONCERT IN NEW YORK MARCH 24 LET ME KNOW AHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHHA (that was an evil laugh). I'M GOING AND THAT SH** IS GOING TO BE LIT.
I'm seriously fangirling it's just-
5/16/18